Singer, songwriter, cyclist…
Nova Scotia performer Maura Whitman moves between the piano and the bicycle
Maura Whitman is most often seen around Truro on her bicycle. But Saturday she’ll be playing the piano and singing on stage at the Marigold Cultural Centre.
“This is my first time being part of Nova Scotia Music Week, so I’m really excited,” said the 17-yearold Grade 12 student.
“I really like being able to connect with people through music. I try to write songs everybody can relate to. It’s cool to capture the audience, and have people come up and say the music moved them.”
Whitman began singing with her father and brother, in church, when she was four years old. Because she couldn’t read yet, her mother drew pictures to let her know what to sing.
When she got older, she began writing songs, and now writes and performs music she calls “pop-driven, with some soulful vibes.”
She released her debut song, Spread Your Wings, in 2015, and her fourth original single and video, Extraordinary, came out earlier this year.
Some of the people she knows are planning to catch her Music Week performance are fellow members of the Bike Monkey competitive biking group. Although she lives in Herring Cove, Whitman has been part of the Truro team since 2014.
“It’s a great group of people I connected with, and there are nicer trails around Truro, so it’s definitely worth the drive,” she said. “I love going through the trails in Victoria Park.”
She began competing at the age of nine, and has taken part in several events, including the 2017 Canada Games in Winnipeg.
She plans to attend university, but may take a year off to focus on music. She also plans to continue biking.
Her music week performance will be at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Marigold Cultural Centre.
For more information on Maura Whitman, and samples of her music, visit www.maurawhitman.com.